


To Protect the Light

by Zombg



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: HEAVY KH3 Spoilers, Hopefully it goes onto the screen as good as it is in my head, It's either that or Hot Garbage there is no in between with this, Mentioned Terraqua, My First Fanfic, My take on Terra's thoughts as he broke from Terranort's control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28744371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombg/pseuds/Zombg
Summary: Terra hasn't been himself in years. Literally. Ever since Xehanort took control of his body, every day has been a battle. A constant, uphill battle to keep himself from being snuffed out completely. He wasn't losing any ground, but he wasn't gaining any, either. And he'd almost given up hope of ever being in control again. But what he didn't know, was that all it would take was a single push.
Relationships: Aqua & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 16





	To Protect the Light

Darkness was something that Terra knew, intimately. There was a time where he wanted nothing more than to be a Keyblade Master. But now... all he could dream of was having control again. Being able to feel the ground beneath his feet, the wind on his face, everything he had taken for granted back when he was still... _him_. Now, all of those things were passed to Xehanort, the man wearing his face. Just looking at him, watching him make a mockery out of a body that was not his own... made Terra feel sick. For years, _years_ he had been fighting. Looking for some way back in, some way to take back what was his. And for years, he'd seen nothing but failure. No openings, no weaknesses, nothing at all to suggest any hope of doing anything more than surviving. Every now and again, his efforts would stall, and Terra would catch himself doing the absolute bare minimum to keep himself from succumbing completely. And then, in an act of cruelty that matched no other, Terra would be forced to partake in the crimes this imposter committed. Forced to watch as the body of darkness that his heart resided within was used as a weapon, to snuff out any light that Xehanort saw fit. That was always the push that he needed to resume his efforts, even if they never did any good. He longed to see the light of day again, without serving as some madman's puppet. He longed to see his friends again, so they could laugh, cry, do _anything_ , so long as they were together. Aqua flashed briefly through his mind, and he wondered if he'd ever be able to see her through his own two eyes again.

The opportunity came so much sooner than he'd been expecting. And not at all how he would have liked it. Xehanort had taken his body back to the very place it had been stolen from him, the Keyblade Graveyard. Terra knew what was happening. The Organization had been talking about it for a long while, the next Keyblade War. Seven lights, thirteen darknesses, everything that was needed to summon Kingdom Hearts, and complete Xehanort's plan once and for all. And among this talk, he'd heard a name. A name that would have made every muscle in his body tense at once, if he'd had the power to. Master Aqua. Would she be there? Serving as one of their seven lights? The idea terrified Terra to no end. They'd fought Xehanort once before, all of them, and it... hadn't ended very well. In fact, he'd be willing to say that it ended horribly. Who was to say that this battle would go any differently? If he was forced to watch his friends fall, or worse yet, be forced to do the deed himself... he'd submit to the darkness. What purpose would remain to fight? Without them, why would he even want control back? They'd been the light at the end of this tunnel, the only _real_ thing keeping him going all these years. He wasn't strong enough all those years ago. And he doubted that he was any stronger now. Fear began to eat away at his motivation, and Terra once again found himself doing the bare minimum to simply remain. And as two familiar faces began to approach, Terra wondered how long he'd even be doing _that_.

If there was one good thing that Terra could say about Xehanort, it was that he refused to admit defeat without a fight. The clash between the forces of light, and what used to be Terra's body, was just as intense as he'd expected it to be. Ven and Aqua had improved, there was absolutely no questioning that. And with the appearance of Sora, the fight was all but won, for the side of light. Terra felt Xehanort's defenses weaken and for a moment, _one fleeting moment_ , he thought he could regain himself. He could hear Ven and Aqua, hear them calling his name, begging for him to come back. And he wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to force control of his body out of Xehanort's hands, throw his arms around them both and simply let years upon years of hurt come spilling out, right then and there. But he couldn't. Weakened as he was, Xehanort's hold was still too strong, and Terra felt fear overtake his heart as the chains of their bonds were all too happy to whisk his friends away once again. They hung there, suspended in the air and at the complete mercy of Xehanort. He was... speaking, saying something in a voice that was Terra's, and yet distinct enough to send a chill down his spine. And as the chains began to whip his friends through the air, he realized: This was it. They had lost. Terra accepted, gravely, that he had no hope of ever speaking to either of them again.

...why, then, could he not bring himself to give up? Why was his mind racing through memories of the past? Memories of Ven, before he would even speak to either Terra or Aqua, or sparring with him in the courtyard of The Land of Departure, _good_ memories, from before everything went wrong. Why was his heart still focused on Aqua? Bringing him memories of their first meeting, of the awkward glances they would share before they'd finally become friends, or the gentle advice given by Master Eraqus when he realized that Terra... was interested in her as something more than a friend. He'd never acted on those thoughts, never could find the courage to admit to any sort of feelings towards her. There was a voice in his mind telling him that he would never be able to, either. But that voice was steadily becoming quieter, and quieter. Overshadowed by something that Terra hadn't truly felt in a good, long while. Rage. He could feel it, bubbling up from the depths of his heart, just as it had on that day those years ago, when Xehanort had first taken control. But this... this was different. This wasn't the same kind of anger that had made him weak, had caused him to succumb to the darkness within him, and allowed Xehanort to win. This wasn't rage born from a desire to destroy the darkness. This was a rage born from a desire to protect the light. The monster in his skin, Terra could hear it laughing as Ven and Aqua's limp forms were lifted higher, and higher into the air. He knew what Xehanort was planning. And as soon as they began to drop, Terra felt something break.

He was moving before he even realized it. Flying through the air, for once, by his _own_ choice. As they both fell into his arms, he realized the weight of Aqua and Ven was nothing to this form, and for the first time since he'd been trapped in it, Terra was glad he had it. He took hold of the lengths of chain in one hand, turned his gaze down to Xehanort, and crushed them in his grip as if they were made of glass. He floated downward, slowly and steadily, to lay his friends as gently as he could onto the ground below. As much as he hated to admit it, there were more pressing matters to attend to. But before Terra could even turn to look at him, Xehanort began to speak. Terra heard the confusion in his voice, the _fear_.

"How?!" Xehanort asked, staring at the form of what was once his Guardian. Terra had already decided that he didn't want to hear the rest. "You fell to dark-"

The satisfaction of taking Xehanort's head in his grip, feeling him struggle uselessly against him, was something Terra never expected to be able to feel. He had to resist the urge to do what he had done to the chains just moments before, to simply squeeze and end this whole thing with the sort of finality only that could have brought. But that was more than Xehanort deserved. And Terra couldn't imagine putting Ven or Aqua through that. He rushed his free hand up to his mouth, clawing at the cloth that restricted it, until his fingers finally found purchase, and ripped them cleanly in two. He needed to speak. He _had_ to speak. It took him a few moments to find his voice, to break through the years of silence he'd endured... but he wasn't going to stop. He'd come much too far to stop now.

"One day..." Terra could hear himself, and the elation of speaking far outweighed the pain of it. "...I will..." It became easier with every word. "...Set... this... right..." He thrust Xehanort forward, keeping him held off the ground, and keeping his eyes locked on the other's. "One day... I will set... this right..." His voice was his own. His _body_ was his own. And he wouldn't allow Xehanort to use him as a puppet for one moment more. "I will return to this land," Terra could see the fear in Xehanort's eyes practically double, like he'd dreamed of for years. "And protect... my friends!" He was forcing his heart from the Guardian, an act of pure willpower, driven by rage. Somewhere, he heard a voice yell his name, saw the beam of a Keyblade, bright and true, and released Xehanort to strike the final blow. The Guardian faded, and Terra's heart shot forward, slamming into the body that used to be his.

And, in a final flash of light, what was once Terra's, was his once again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is, literally, my first fanfic. I don't know what made me want to write it, or why I decided on this scene in particular, but by god, here I am. Maybe if I enjoy this enough, I'll start writing more stuff. For now, though, consider this a test run. Hopefully my writing is enough to get at least a few smiles from some of y'all, and that's really the main goal, anyway. Either way, love it or hate it, thanks for checking it out!


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